Third Conditional

Third Conditional

Using third conditional

The Third Conditional is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past that did not actually happen. It expresses regret, speculation, or imagination about alternative outcomes to past events. Of course, those situations can not change, so its use is hypothetical. It is also conformed by the condition and main clause, as the other conditionals.

Past Perfect and Past Participle

It is important to remember how to use past perfect and participle forms as they are used in this Conditional as it follows: "If I had taken my umbrella, I wouldn't have gotten wet." or "I would have gone to the party if I hadn't been sick."

Examples

Here are some examples and what they are referring to:

• If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did feel sick).

• If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, we know she didn't study and so she didn't pass).

• He wouldn't have been tired if he had gone to bed earlier.

Remember

The structure is the same as the previous conditional sentences, just change the verbs tense and use. For regular verbs, the past participle is usually formed by adding -ed. For irregular verbs, you need to know the special past participle forms. He would have been on time for the interview if he had left the house at nine.